In this issue, we tip our hats to the distinguished alumni volunteers who graciously gave their time, talent, and insights to John Jay students in recent weeks. On November 13, at the request of the Counseling Department, panelists Marie Rosen, BA'82, Senior Editor, Office of Institutional Advancement at John Jay, Oscar Odom, III, BS'83, JD, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Department at Katharine Gibbs School in New York, and Terrence Harris, AS '91, BA'92, MPA'95, Director of Continuing Education at John Jay, recounted their professional experiences with a group of students who, we have since learned, used the panelists' remarks as a theme for subsequent classroom discussions...On Sunday, November 16, during the Fall 2008 Undergraduate Open House, the Honorable Wilma Guzman BS'78, JD, Judge, New York Supreme Court, Bronx County, Kinya Chandler, BA'95, Deputy Budget Officer at John Jay, and Michael McCann, BS'74, JD, Alumni Board President, were pleased to serve as alumni speakers, while Je'Reivien Kayo, BA'02, Director of Development at the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and James Brito, BS'05, NYC Correction Officer and Staten Island Coordinator, fielded questions from prospective students and parents throughout the day... Finally, on November 20, during the second Brown Bag Luncheon, John H. Austin, Jr., MA'01, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration -- New York Field Division, sat with almost thirty undergraduates and graduate students, discussing his experience since graduation, responding to all questions, and providing a first-hand glimpse of professional opportunities in DEA. To all our alumni volunteers, for your impressive personal commitment to John Jay students and the College community, we extend special thanks.

Jerylle Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations

John Jay Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship (2009)The Alumni Association Board is proud to announce the second John Jay College Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship for approximately $4,000. The purpose of the scholarship is to offer financial support each year to a highly qualified sophomore who is completing her or his second year at John Jay by providing a strong incentive for the student to remain at John Jay. The eligibility criteria are: a completed scholarship application, a 3.2 GPA, a 300 word personal essay setting forth past accomplishments and future plans, a letter of recommendation from a John Jay faculty member, a financial aid application, and a personal interview with the Alumni Association Board. The application deadline is Friday, February 13, 2009. For more information, contact Michael Scaduto, Scholarship Coordinator at mscaduto@jjay.cuny.edu or 212.237.8872.

The State of the CollegeOn November 5, President Jeremy Travis opened his first State of the College Address by noting "John Jay enjoys priceless assets -- an elevating public mission, dedicated faculty, highly motivated students, loyal alumni, and a storied history. Building on these strengths, we decided four years ago to chart a new course for John Jay." This sweeping transformation is on the fast track in three major areas: changing the student profile, a historic faculty hiring initiative and the revitalization of academic programs. He reported that admission standards have been raised and partnerships have been created with community colleges to educate associate degree students as the College phases out its associate degree programs. The number of full-time faculty, credentialed by the leading doctoral programs in the world, has increased 25% over the last four years. "Our academic programs," he said, "are witnessing a remarkable burst of creative energy. We now offer two exciting new majors -- in Economics and English -- with majors in Global History, Gender Studies, Philosophy and Latin American Studies likely to be approved this year." In closing, Travis said, "Forty-four years ago, in 1964, a small group of educators and police reformers came together to share their dream of a liberal arts college for police officers. I hope you agree that the founders of this College would be pleased with the trajectory of their revolutionary idea. Today, the State of John Jay College is strong." To read the full text of his remarks, click here.John Jay Alum Killed in Afghanistan
First Lt. Trevor Yurista died in combat on October 27 when an improvised explosive device exploded near him while he was on duty in a remote region of Helmand province. He was assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. Yurista's father, Ronald Yurista of Pleasant Valley, NY, said his son worked as a ground intelligence officer in Afghanistan and in Iraq, where he served two previous tours. Ronald Yurista told the Poughkeepsie Journal that this tour was optional and Trevor went to support the intelligence officers that he was training. "He didn't have to go with them...He could have said no. That's who he was." Trevor received his Bachelor of Science degree from John Jay in 2002 and subsequently graduated from Officers Candidate School in 2005. He was based in Camp Pendleton, CA since then. Both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Governor David Patterson of New York directed that flags were to be flown at half-staff to honor the fallen soldier. Trevor was 31.

What's Going On? Would you like to share your recent career and/or personal achievements with your fellow alums and the John Jay community? Let us know what you're doing these days. Your submissions will be considered for inclusion in the alumni class notes section of the upcoming spring edition of the John Jay Magazine. Just click here and fill in the information.

The Center on Race, Crime and Justice pleased to host Dr. Marc Mauer who will speak on "And Justice for All? Assessing the Changing Climate for Criminal Justice Reform." Dr. Mauer is the Executive Director of The Sentencing Project in Washington, DC and one of the country's leading experts on sentencing policy, race and the criminal justice system.

New York City's Crime Decline: Why it Really Happened
A Lecture by George KellingThursday, December 4, 2008 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

The Center for Crime Prevention and Control is proud to host this lecture by George Kelling, who with James Q. Wilson, is considered to be the originator of the "Broken Windows" thesis of crime prevention first published in the March 1982 issue of Atlantic Monthly. Since then, "Broken Windows" has established itself as one of the groundbreaking concepts in the field of criminal justice. Kelling is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University (Newark) and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. With Catherine Coles, he authored Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities in 1996.

This educational and informative event brings together recruiters from many federal, state and city governmental agencies, graduate programs and law schools, nonprofit organizations and private industry. Some representatives may collect resumes or other contact information. If you wish to attend the fair, you are required to come dressed in traditional interview attire. Please bring along your John Jay Alumni Association ID, mini-diploma, or your former John Jay student ID.

John Jay College899 Tenth Avenue (enter from the third floor)New York City

Great Music for a Great City: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th Anniversary ConcertThursday, December 4, 2008 7:30 PM

This narrated concert will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the historic efforts of Eleanor Roosevelt. The International Orchestra for Human Rights will perform with the Choral Society, Metropolitan Opera soloists and a children's choir with performers from Tibet, Rwanda, Israel and South America.

The concert is free. All events are ticketed, and can be reserved online at www.ticketcentral.comor by calling 212-279-4200.

The John Jay Mozart Academy will present a free family concert for the holiday season. Featured players include the Carnegie Hill Orchestras, Mozart Academy Chorus, and the Mannes College Children's Chorus.

John Jay College
Gerald W. Lynch Theater
899 Tenth Avenue
New York City

Occasional Series on Reentry Research
The Impact of Reentry Services on Juvenile Offenders' RecidivismFriday, January 16, 2009 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

The Prisoner Reentry Institute is pleased to invite you to this presentation by Jeffrey Bouffard, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Washington State University. This study explores the service delivery model of a juvenile reentry program and its preliminary outcome indicators. The research offers insight into the coordination of reentry services needed to support successful juvenile reentry.

Alumni Open House for Manhattan and New JerseyWednesday, January 21, 2009 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

President Jeremy Travis; Michael McCann (BS '74, JD), Alumni Association President; and the Alumni Board cordially invite all alumni to attend this open house as part of the continuing series to Connect and Reconnect at John Jay. Refreshments will be served.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Jerylle Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations, at NYCNJOpenHouse@jjay.cuny.edu or 212.237.8964. Please be sure to include your full name, degree and graduation year, email address and the date of the event you will attend.

President Jeremy Travis; Michael McCann (BS '74, JD), Alumni Association President; and James Brito (BS '05), Staten Island Coordinator; cordially invite all alumni to attend this open house as part of the continuing series to Connect and Reconnect at John Jay. Refreshments will be served.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Jerylle Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations, at SIOpenHouse@jjay.cuny.edu or 212.237.8964. Please be sure to include your full name, degree and graduation year, email address and the date of the event you will attend.

The Center on the Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay is pleased to host this two-day conference that brings together journalists, academicians, practitioners and legislators from around the country for wide-ranging discussions on criminal justice issues facing the United States, and to promote informed debate through the media on those issues. The event will also feature the presentation of the College's fourth annual Awards for Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting.

Alumni Open House in the BronxFriday, February 6, 2009 6:00 PM -- 8:00 PM

President Jeremy Travis; Michael McCann (BS '74, JD), Alumni Association President; and Larry Cunningham (BS '97, JD), Bronx Coordinator; cordially invite all alumni to attend this open house as part of the continuing series to Connect and Reconnect at John Jay. Refreshments will be served.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Jerylle Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations, at BXOpenHouse@jjay.cuny.edu or 212.237.8964. Please be sure to provide your full name, degree and graduation year, email address and the date of the event you will attend.

Spoto's Restaurant
4005 East Tremont Avenue
Bronx, New York

Oscar Odom, III (BS '83, JD) "just wants to say thank you" to the college that gave him the opportunity to have a varied and rewarding career in criminal justice. Growing up in the Tompkins Housing Projects in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, he joined the NYPD in 1985 to be "part of the solution." One of his positions while in the department was that of an academic instructor in the police academy. "My John Jay degree helped immeasurably. A lot of the courses I took at the College were directly related to what I was doing in the police department. Constitutional law, criminal law and criminal investigation are good examples. I had a great foundation from an academic standpoint. On the job, I got the practitioners' point of view and I was able to meld the two together." After 21 years with the NYPD, it was on to the New York City Sheriff's Office where he started as the four-star chief of staff and rose to the rank of First Deputy Sheriff Commissioner in charge of the day-to-day administration of the Sheriff's Office for all five boroughs. Since leaving the Sheriff's Office in 2006, Odom spends much of his time teaching a wide range of criminal justice courses. He's the chairman of the criminal justice department at the Katharine Gibbs School in New York. He also teaches at Mercy College as well as in the graduate program in emergency and disaster management at Metropolitan College-New York. At the Simon Wiesenthal/New York Tolerance Center, he instructs police and peace officers from the tri-state area on how to differentiate criminal profiling from racial profiling and challenges officers to examine areas of hidden bias. Odom wants alumni "to come back and give back to the College." Last month, he did just that. He came back to John Jay to address a class of freshman on career opportunities in the criminal justice system.

"This was a golden opportunity," said Jillian Sarandrea, a graduate student in forensic mental health counseling. She was among ten students who traveled to Casablanca and other Moroccan cities last June for a groundbreaking study abroad program. Led by Professor Chitra Raghavan of the Department of Psychology, the course on "Gender, Culture, Community and Violence" provided students with classroom lectures, field trips, presentations by local officials and the opportunity to participate in a community service project at a Moroccan school. According to Sarandrea, the month-long adventure "was virtually non-stop, aimed at providing a near-saturation level experience. I loved the program, and I'd love to go back." The other students who participated in this first John Jay study-abroad initiative were: Shea Alvarez, Christian Aulbach, Paul Ibarra, Cassandra Jones, Kelsey Kowalski, Caitlin Noonan, Ysaeric Taveras, Michael Velazquez and Natalie Zephrin. The Morocco course was one of two such programs offered this summer. The other course on "Caribbean Criminology" was taught in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.